Blindsided
by LateNightConversations
Summary: Set between RFB part 1 and part 2. Two women, and their thoughts on each other.
1. Skinny Love

The coffee was weak, not nearly strong enough by her standards. Not that it mattered, there were more pressing issues at hand, though she had time. A cigarette was lit beneath the cover of a patio umbrella that served as her only shelter from the softly falling rain outside a quaint café, cold blue eyes gazed into the depths of the mug of sub par coffee.

For now, all she had to do was bide her time. She knew he would come, when it came to matters involving her, he would always come. She wasn't sure why he would, it had been so long, and she had known of his whereabouts for the better part of six month without making a move. Maybe it was because Vicious was now so consumed with overthrowing the Van that there was no better time then present. Maybe it was that she was tired of wondering if there was more to life than this, or if this was as good as it would get. Perhaps it was all of those things teamed with the fact that the perfect messenger had just earlier today fallen right into her lap.

She would be lying if she said she wasn't familiar with the name Faye Valentine. She had done enough digging to know that she was on board that retrofitted fishing vessel bounty hunting along side Spike. However when she picked up some much needed help at that spaceport parking garage, she had no idea that her semi-savior had been none other than Spike's comrade.

After dispatching of Vicious' men, the two had shared a companionable smoke, and her surprise had not been feigned when her mystery companion offered up her name. It was pure shock at the dumb luck of the situation, that things had just gotten so much easier.

She couldn't and if asked wouldn't deny that Faye was quite an attractive woman, in the recesses of her mind she even thought that Spike may have very well thought the same. She briefly wondered if he had slept with her, and was surprised at the small twinge of jealously such thoughts brought.

Faye had proven that she was a good shot, excellent even, and she exuded a confidence that almost did a knock out job of masking a slight bit of insecurity that lay just below the surface. But as they spoke candidly, that weakness was shown just enough for her to know that she was at an advantage. She knew then how to exploit it, and exactly how to get her message to Spike. She would simply become the puppeteer, pulling the strings to get this woman to do what she needed her to.

She held no ill will toward Faye. In fact she was slightly amused and a bit flattered at her suggestion that they partner up, well of course that had been before names were exchanged. She suspected at the point that Faye had a pretty decent idea of who she was making such a suggestion to. She wouldn't doubted if it that was enough to make her change her mind about that offer entirely. Perhaps in another life time it would have been an option the two of them making quick work of, and cashing in on potential bounties. After all she was a nice girl.

When she asked Faye to pass her message along to Spike, with that had come the most minute twinge of guilt. Faye's body language at the mention of Spike's name gave away something that was most likely not meant to be displayed. Call it women's intuition, but she was almost certain that this bounty huntress had feelings for Spike, even if they were slight. Because of that, she knew that she would do exactly what was asked of her.

Any guilt was quickly pushed aside as her own selfish desires and needs took over. It had been far to long, and in all honesty this strangers feelings didn't have a place in her future. Maybe it was cold and uncaring, but it was reality, something she wasn't even sure existed any more.

Leaving the remains of her cup of coffee on the table, and leaving a few bills behind, she pulled her jacket nearer to her body as she headed down the side walk, the rain clinging to her blonde hair. What should be joyous moment, instead weighed her down like lead blanket. She had a meeting with destiny, or whatever one should call it. It was time to end to dream, to make reality of it. She knew Spike would come, and all because of one person. A sad smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she continued down the sidewalk. _Thank you Faye._


	2. Blood Bank

Sitting in the cockpit of the Redtail, Faye cradled her head in her hands, letting out a dry chuckle. Life could be a bitch sometimes, in fact it was a real bitch right now. Of all the days she had chosen to do something totally selfless, it would of course have to come in the form of helping out Spike's long lost love. She had just been minding her own business in that parking garage when her car had sped by. Scratch that, she had been lost in her own thoughts when that car had sped by.

Spike had told her to come home, and in the deep recesses of her mind, part of her silently hoped that he simply had wanted to see her. But Faye knew better than that. She knew that he only wanted her back because Jet was all banged up. Wishful thinking was all but lost on that bastard.

Before the sound of squealing tires had interrupted her thoughts, Faye had been lost in thoughts of said bastard. The night before, as she had laid in the ruins of her childhood home, she had come to a horrible realization. As much as she could try to deny it, as much as she would try to deny it if ever called out on it, she loved him. She, Faye Valentine loved Spike Spiegel, very much to her dismay. So when he told her to come home, despite her protests, she knew she would. At this point she would pretty much do anything he asked. Of course she would have to make a big deal out of it, but she would, and it sickened her at how pathetic it seemed.

As soon as that cherry red convertible pulled up, all thoughts had ceased. Her brain had shut down, and all that had mattered in those moments was helping out another woman, who seemed to be in danger, something Faye was not at all unfamiliar with. With the mystery woman at the wheel and Faye riding shotgun, they easily had dispatched of the men who were tailing her. So much in fact that Faye had even decided on suggesting teaming up with her as they pulled over for a smoke.

It was then as they spoke, and exchanged names, that Faye realized who it was that she had helped. Julia, the one woman who seemed to keep Spike so deeply tethered to his past. It was in that moment that Faye conceded defeat. She knew Spike had a past, but from all she had seen the lanky man go through, she wasn't sure if he even had a future. In this moment though, she knew that if he did, it was standing right before her, in all it's blue eyed, blonde haired glory. If a future awaited the cowboy, it was Julia, and not some popsicle of a compulsive gambler with debts bigger than one could ever imagine looming over her head.

Faye didn't understand what it was that made this woman so spectacular to Spike. Sure she was beautiful, she had a calm air of confidence about her, something slightly mysteriously dangerous about her, but when it came down to it; as Faye would later tell Jet, she was ordinary.

It was all of these thoughts that continued to plague Faye was she piloted the Redtail back to the Bebop, thoughts of the ordinary woman who would leave Faye with nothing but a bunch of 'what ifs' and 'never will be's'. The woman who was using her as a messenger to do her bidding, simply because she had seen right through her. Faye should have known better, if anyone can read a woman, its another woman.

Faye felt the knot in her stomach, she felt sick. The cockpit felt too small suddenly. She needed a cigarette, and needed one bad. Rummaging around through a few days worth of mess from living out of her ship, Faye finally found her much needed vice. Lighting her smoke, she sighed as the Bebop came into view. Part of her didn't want to go through with it, part of her wanted to keep the message to herself, and keep Spike on the ship, she knew better. Spike would leave regardless, she knew his past stalked him like an invisible predator, and that keeping the message to herself would only delay the inevitable.

Continuing to smoke as she landed, Faye hopped out of the cockpit, and dropped her cigarette on the hangar floor, snuffing it out with her boot. Leaning against the door frame for a moment, Faye hesitated. With a deep sigh, she stepped through and into the bowels of the ship with a heavy heart. She had to do this now, or her resolve would break. _Damn you Julia._


	3. Stacks

Slender fingers trailed along the markers of granite, concrete and marble. Each etched with names and dates that held no meaning to her, other than the fact that they had been born, and then died. Lighting another cigarette, Julia placed the pack back inside her jacket pocket, her fingers skimming along the cool metal of barrel of the gun she had all but forgotten she had tucked away.

Taking a drag, she leaned against the nearest stone, knowing it was a little disrespectful, but not caring in the moment. Droplets of the faintly falling rain began clinging to her hair though she didn't care about that either. Her mind wandered to how macabre it all was, a reunion that had the potential be a happy one, being held in a place that interred the dead. Though somehow she wondered if that was all this would bring to her, death.

Vicious hadn't been a bad guy, in fact she was certain she had seen a soft side to him that the rest of the world hadn't, but as he rose up the ranks of the syndicate, he had been consumed with a need for more, with a need for power. It was at that point that nothing else seemed to matter to him. Spike had been a different story all together, maybe it was his carefree flirty attitude, maybe it was the indifference and blasé approach to most things in life; whatever it was it had always drawn her to him.

From the moment they began seeing each other it was doomed. Aside from one date at the café she had visited earlier, and a few late night trysts, there had been nothing else to their relationship, and yet they had called it love. Was it love? She couldn't be sure, maybe it was the illusion that they were in love with, and yet it drove both of them to the point of near insanity. They would be each others undoing, there was not doubt about that in her mind, and yet she welcomed the idea fully.

Taking another long drag, her mind wandered again, this time back to Faye. She wondered if she had made it back yet, if she had delivered her message, if Spike was on his way to her. The little jealous part of her, the part that wondered of what may have transpired between her and Spike, hoped that she was hurt by it.

Crushing out her smoke with a devious smirk on her lips, Julia pondered the earlier conversation she had with the woman, when she had suggested pairing up. She wondered what it would be like, to be around another woman, one who could handle herself in the sort of world they lived in. She had spent most of her adult life around mostly men, the thought of a female friend was almost intriguing. She wondered if they would have been close, almost like sisters, or if they would have eventually been at each others throats. Would Spike have ever even been a factor? Would he come between them? Which one would he be with? Would he leave one for the other? She was a little surprised to find that she was slightly disappointed that she would never have a chance to find out. She would have loved to have lived another life.

Despite her tough exterior, Faye had helped out a complete stranger, and to no benefit to herself, Julia had known then that she was a good person. It had been the only thing to make Julia take slight pity on the woman. Thought hat had been Faye's one downfall, it had been the perfect attribute to exploit.

Reaching into her jacket pocket, Julia flexed her fingers around the grip of the pistol, and then relaxed them exhaling the breath she didn't realize she had been holding. Reaching into the opposite pocket she pulled out a pocket watch, blue eyes intently staring at the numbers. _Three hours…._ It shouldn't be much longer now, until then she would wait. She would wait to see how the story played out, she would wait because she knew her pretty little puppet would do exactly as instructed. She smirked slightly at the thought, though her mouth quickly set into a hard line.

In the distance a familiar lanky figure began toward her, and she felt the edges of her mouth threaten to upturn once more. He was here, and no thanks to the bounty huntress. _I knew you'd come through, pretty little Faye Valentine._


	4. I Can't Make You Love Me

Faye was on a mission and hell bent on succeeding. She all but pushed passed Jet in her eager attempt to speak with Spike, yet as she stood in the doorway to the work shop, she couldn't seem to muster up any words. Her mouth felt dry, her throat tight. She could see her reflection in the glass of booze on the work bench, and she knew Spike saw it also by the way his back tensed as she approached, and yet he said nothing. Licking her dry lips, Faye fought the slight wave of nausea that passed through her, still struggling to find her words.

Trying to distract herself, Faye thought back to her earlier conversation with Julia, and the slight camaraderie she had felt working with the woman. She wondered if things had been different in life if they may have been friends. Would she be the one coming between Spike and Julia in a role reversal. Staring straight ahead and the cowboy's back she knew she wouldn't. Spike wouldn't give up the stunning blonde for her, not now, not in another time. She had nothing to offer him, and yet she would give him everything. That thought alone hurt her more than she could have ever imagined.

The sound of Spike's voice asking if she had information brought her out of her reverie. She felt a sense of unease course through her veins, as if he already knew something was up. Masking her discomfort, she slipped back behind her wall of indifference, cracking a remark about him having to pay for it. When he replied that he didn't have any money, she couldn't help but smirk in the slightest, things suddenly felt a lot more comfortable as they seemed to be slipping back into their routine of back and forth banter. That was until the ship violently rocked. They were under attack.

Spike had shoved passed her in a mad dash for the hangar, and it dawned on Faye that she hadn't even attempted to do what she had came to in the first place. Dashing after him Faye was determined to get relay the message to him. He most certainly would never be hers, but he might just have a shot at some form of happiness, and she was determined to give that to him.

Watching him climb aboard the Swordfish, Faye knew she was wasting time, she yelled at him trying to get his attention, to which he only once more reminded her that he didn't have money, the slight edge to his voice stung, as she realized he thought she was serious about getting paid, as if she were merely a cold money grubbing woman. Though she realized she hadn't done a ton to make him think otherwise.

Biting her lip momentarily she took a deep breath and blurted it out. She searched Spike's face for some sort of reaction, but only saw confusion. She repeated herself again, this time making sure to add Julia's name, and the fact that someone had been after her. That was all it took, in that instant she saw the sign etched on his face, he got the message loud and clear, and he was leaving.

She heard him yell at Jet through the com unit, and the bay doors opened, Spike taking off without another word to her.

Leaning against the Redtail, Faye hung her head. As far as she knew, that was goodbye, not that she really expected much less. Part of her had still wanted to keep the message to herself, to tell him instead that she loved him. However for the second time that day, she had done something truly selfless, and yet felt no better for it. If this is what remembering her past had reduced her to, perhaps she was better off still being in the dark.

Glancing at the spot where the Swordfish had been mere moments earlier, Faye sighed. He really was gone, and she doubted that he would be coming back, and if he was she was certain that it wouldn't be alone. She didn't think she could bare that, and though she had no where else to go, she didn't think she would be able to handle the both of them on the ship just reiterating the fact that she paled in comparison to Julia in every single way. "Goodbye Spike" she muttered to herself, wishing that she had a cigarette right about now.

She was well aware of the dull ache in her chest, and wondered to herself if this was what heartbreak felt like. She felt the stinging in her eyes, and blinked hard fighting back tears that threatened to fall. Suddenly a smile formed across her lips. She may never have Spike for her own, but she had just given him something that Julia had been denying him for three years, a fleeting moment of happiness. If that was all she would ever have with Spike, then she would treasure the thought.

Shaking her head, she cringed inwardly as her slightly pleasant thoughts were invaded once more by a blonde haired, blue eyed temptress. She held the one thing, that Faye would never have, what was left of Spike's heart and soul. _Take care of him Julia._


End file.
